Guide To Diagnosing And Treating Atelectasis

Bronchoscopy

Sometimes the results offered by a thoracic ultrasound are not conclusive. In these cases, the physician may want to take a much closer look with a bronchoscopy. During this procedure, the patient's physician will send a tube down into their airways, either through the nose or mouth, to see the airways and lungs more closely. If a patient inhaled a foreign object, the physician might be able to remove it during this procedure. Although the procedure itself generally takes an hour or less, the entire process, including preparation and recovery times, may last for four hours or more. Additionally, there are slight risks of complications, including fever, bleeding, and a collapsed lung.

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